Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of Campylobacter jejuni sheep abortion isolates

Campylobacter species are a significant cause of sheep abortion in most sheep-raising countries. In New Zealand, Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus is the leading cause of diagnosed sheep abortion and the species C. jejuni and C. coli have also been implicated. To date, strain typing information of C. jejuni sheep abortion isolates is limited. The objective of the present study was to genotype C. jejuni isolates cultured from sheep abortions submitted to diagnostic laboratories in New Zealand during the 2000 breeding season, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). In this study, C. jejuni isolates were cultured from approximately 10% of farms from which Campylobacter species were isolated from sheep abortions in the year 2000. This equated to 25 C. jejuni isolates from 21 farms. These isolates were obtained from the veterinary diagnostic laboratories and strain typed using the molecular typing technique PFGE. Ten distinct PFGE types were identified amongst the isolates. No particular PFGE type was found most frequently amongst these C. jejuni sheep abortion isolates. However, indistinguishable or similar C. jejuni PFGE types were identified from different aborted foetuses from the same flock, consistent with the role of C. jejuni as an infectious cause of abortion in sheep. These strain types were similar or indistinguishable from C. jejuni sheep abortion isolates obtained in 1999 in a smaller study (Mannering, S.A., Marchant, R.M., Middelberg, A., Perkins, N.R., West, D.M., Fenwick, S.G., 2003. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of C. fetus subsp. fetus from sheep abortions in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. NZ Vet. J. 51, 33-37).     

Successful treatment of a pancreatic pseudocyst by omentalisation in a dog

CASE HISTORY A 3-year-old male Labrador retriever was presented with a history of dietary indiscretion followed by vomiting and abdominal pain.

CLINICAL FINDINGS AND TREATMENT: Abdominal ultrasonography revealed the presence of a fluid-filled cystic structure in the region of the pancreas. Flocculent, dark fluid was drained from the cystic structure during exploratory celiotomy prior to resection of the lateral cystic wall. Omentum was sutured into the cystic cavity to provide drainage and enhance immune response. A jejunostomy feeding tube was placed. Post-surgical care consisted of antibiotic therapy. The dog was clinically normal at 1 and 7 months post-operatively and the pancreas appeared normal on final ultrasonographic examination.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This case describes the use of omentum to provide physiological drainage of a pancreatic pseudocyst. This surgical technique may help clinicians manage patients with this condition in the future.     

Male pseudohermaphroditism in a Labrador Retriever,and a review of mammalian sexual differentiation

CASE HISTORY: An 8-month-old Labrador Retriever was referred with a history of ambiguous external genitalia.

CLINICAL FINDINGS AND TREATMENT: Clitoromegaly within apparent vulval folds, and an adjacent subcutaneous mass were noticed on external examination. An intra-abdominal testicle, with epididymis and suspected vas deferens ducts, was found during exploratory celiotomy. Incision over the subcutaneous mass revealed the accompanying testicle. Clitoridectomy was performed and an os clitoris removed. Normal juvenile testes were diagnosed on histology of the gonads. Chromosomal studies revealed a normal 78, XY male chromosomal constitution. Due to the combination of a male karyotype (78, XY), the presence of testicular tissue in the gonads, and the appearance of the external genitalia, a diagnosis of male pseudohermaphroditism (MPH) was made.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This case presents the first report of MPH in a Labrador Retriever, and highlights the diagnostic steps recommended when confronted with a dog with ambiguous external genitalia.     

Genetic variability revealed with microsatellite markers in an introduced population of the abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino

One of the challenges for the culture of any species is to control the loss of genetic variability, which may result in a decrease in the quality of commercially important traits. The goal of this study is to assess the genetic diversity of a hatchery population of the Pacific abalone ( Haliotis discus hannai ) from the Center for Abalone Production of the Universidad Católica del Norte (CAP-UCN) that is maintained under a breeding programme. We used six polymorphic microsatellite markers within the cultivated population. The loci Awb033 and Awb079 had the highest number of alleles (11 and 10 respectively) and the loci Awb022 and Awb026 the lowest (two and four respectively). The mean number of alleles per locus was 6.83. The average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.71 and 0.70, respectively, and the average F _IS ( f ) index was −0.023. We compared the population genetic parameters of the CAP-UCN population with previously published data of wild and hatchery populations of the same species. Results indicate lower genetic diversity estimated as allelic richness in the introduced population with a loss of 11–58% alleles per locus. Despite the high allelic loss, the estimated inbreeding coefficient suggests that the breeding programme carried out in the CAP-UCN has controlled and maintained heterozygosity levels successfully. A temporal study is necessary to determine whether the genetic diversity loss detected was caused during the initial introduction of breeders or to the breeding programme actually implemented.     

Acute toxicity in five dogs after ingestion of a commercial snail and slug bait containing iron EDTA

This case series of five dogs describes the effects of ingesting large amounts of an iron EDTA snail-bait product. In all cases signs of toxicity occurred between 6 and 24 h after ingestion and included abdominal pain and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Two of the dogs had pretreatment serum iron levels measured and in both cases the levels were above normal limits. All of the dogs were treated with iron chelation therapy and supportive care including intravenous fluids, analgesics, gastric protectants and antibiotics. Chelation therapy with desferrioxamine mesylate did not cause adverse effects in any of the dogs and all survived to discharge. The effects of iron EDTA snail bait in dogs requires further study and minimum toxic doses need to be established.